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- @node Geography (Tuvalu)
- @section Geography (Tuvalu)
-
- @display
-
- Location:
- Oceania, 3,000 km east of Papua New Guinea in the South Pacific Ocean
- Map references:
- Oceania, Standard Time Zones of the World
- Area:
- total area:
- 26 km2
- land area:
- 26 km2
- comparative area:
- about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC
- Land boundaries:
- 0 km
- Coastline:
- 24 km
- Maritime claims:
- contiguous zone:
- 24 nm
- exclusive economic zone:
- 200 nm
- territorial sea:
- 12 nm
- International disputes:
- none
- Climate:
- tropical; moderated by easterly trade winds (March to November); westerly
- gales and heavy rain (November to March)
- Terrain:
- very low-lying and narrow coral atolls
- Natural resources:
- fish
- Land use:
- arable land:
- 0%
- permanent crops:
- 0%
- meadows and pastures:
- 0%
- forest and woodland:
- 0%
- other:
- 100%
- Irrigated land:
- NA km2
- Environment:
- severe tropical storms are rare
-
-
-
- @end display
-
- @node People (Tuvalu)
- @section People (Tuvalu)
-
- @display
-
- Population:
- 9,666 (July 1993 est.)
- Population growth rate:
- 1.74% (1993 est.)
- Birth rate:
- 26.79 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
- Death rate:
- 9.41 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
- Net migration rate:
- 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
- Infant mortality rate:
- 26.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
- Life expectancy at birth:
- total population:
- 62.64 years
- male:
- 61.27 years
- female:
- 63.82 years (1993 est.)
- Total fertility rate:
- 3.11 children born/woman (1993 est.)
- Nationality:
- noun:
- Tuvaluans(s)
- adjective:
- Tuvaluan
- Ethnic divisions:
- Polynesian 96%
- Religions:
- Church of Tuvalu (Congregationalist) 97%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1.4%, Baha'i
- 1%, other 0.6%
- Languages:
- Tuvaluan, English
- Literacy: total population:
- NA%
- male:
- NA%
- female:
- NA%
- Labor force:
- NA
- by occupation:
- NA
-
-
-
- @end display
-
- @node Government (Tuvalu)
- @section Government (Tuvalu)
-
- @display
-
- Names:
- conventional long form:
- none
- conventional short form:
- Tuvalu
- former:
- Ellice Islands
- Digraph:
- TV
- Type:
- democracy; began debating republic status in 1992; referendum expected in
- 1993
- Capital:
- Funafuti
- Administrative divisions:
- none
- Independence:
- 1 October 1978 (from UK)
- Constitution:
- 1 October 1978
- Legal system:
- NA
- National holiday:
- Independence Day, 1 October (1978)
- Political parties and leaders:
- none
- Suffrage:
- 18 years of age; universal
- Elections:
- Parliament:
- last held 28 September 1989 (next to be held by NA September 1993); results
- - percent of vote NA; seats - (12 total)
- Executive branch:
- British monarch, governor general, prime minister, deputy prime minister,
- Cabinet
- Legislative branch:
- unicameral Parliament (Palamene)
- Judicial branch:
- High Court
- Leaders:
- Chief of State: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General
- Toaripi LAUTI (since NA 1992)
- Head of Government:
- Prime Minister Bikenibeu PAENIU (since 16 October 1989); Deputy Prime
- Minister Dr. Alesana SELUKA (since October 1989)
- Member of:
- ACP, C (special), ESCAP, SPARTECA, SPC, SPF, UNESCO, UPU
- Diplomatic representation in US:
- chief of mission:
- (vacant)
- US diplomatic representation:
- none
- Flag:
- light blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the
- outer half of the flag represents a map of the country with nine yellow
- five-pointed stars symbolizing the nine islands
-
-
-
- @end display
-
- @node Economy (Tuvalu)
- @section Economy (Tuvalu)
-
- @display
-
- Overview:
- Tuvalu consists of a scattered group of nine coral atolls with poor soil.
- The country has no known mineral resources and few exports. Subsistence
- farming and fishing are the primary economic activities. The islands are too
- small and too remote for development of a tourist industry. Government
- revenues largely come from the sale of stamps and coins and worker
- remittances. Substantial income is received annually from an international
- trust fund established in 1987 by Australia, New Zealand, and the UK and
- supported also by Japan and South Korea.
- National product:
- GNP - exchange rate conversion - $4.6 million (1989 est.)
- National product real growth rate:
- NA%
- National product per capita:
- $530 (1989 est.)
- Inflation rate (consumer prices):
- 3.9% (1984)
- Unemployment rate:
- NA%
- Budget:
- revenues $4.3 million; expenditures $4.3 million, including capital
- expenditures of $NA (1989)
- Exports:
- $1.0 million (f.o.b., 1983 est.)
- commodities:
- copra
- partners:
- Fiji, Australia, NZ
- Imports:
- $2.8 million (c.i.f., 1983 est.)
- commodities:
- food, animals, mineral fuels, machinery, manufactured goods
- partners:
- Fiji, Australia, NZ
- External debt: $NA
- Industrial production:
- growth rate NA%
- Electricity:
- 2,600 kW capacity; 3 million kWh produced, 330 kWh per capita (1990)
- Industries:
- fishing, tourism, copra
- Agriculture:
- coconuts
- Economic aid:
- US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-87), $1 million; Western (non-US)
- countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $101 million
- Currency:
- 1 Tuvaluan dollar ($T) or 1 Australian dollar ($A) = 100 cents
- Exchange rates:
- Tuvaluan dollars ($T) or Australian dollars ($A) per US$1 - 1.4837 (January
- 1993), 1.3600 (1992), 1.2835 (1991), 1.2799 (1990), 1.2618 (1989), 1.2752
- (1988)
- Fiscal year:
- NA
-
-
-
- @end display
-
- @node Communications (Tuvalu)
- @section Communications (Tuvalu)
-
- @display
-
- Highways:
- 8 km gravel
- Ports:
- Funafuti, Nukufetau
- Merchant marine:
- 6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 33,220 GRT/58,518 DWT; includes 1
- passenger-cargo, 1 oil tanker, 4 chemical tanker
- Airports:
- total:
- 1
- useable:
- 1
- with permanent-surface runways:
- 0
- with runways over 3,659 m:
- 0
- with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
- 0
- with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
- 1
- Telecommunications:
- broadcast stations - 1 AM, no FM, no TV; 300 radiotelephones; 4,000 radios;
- 108 telephones
-
-
-
- @end display
-
- @node Defense Forces (Tuvalu)
- @section Defense Forces (Tuvalu)
-
- @display
-
- Branches:
- Police Force
- Manpower availability: NA
- Defense expenditures:
- exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GNP
-
-
-
- @end display
-